In 1947, a new soap opera debuted in syndication - a drama that was far different than the storm-and-strife ridden weepers that occupied most of the daytime radio schedule.

"Claudia" told the tale of Claudia and David Naughton, newlyweds, just beginning their married life. Young, enthusiastic, and very much in love, they weren't suffering from any medical maladies, suspicions of infidelity, or dealing with ungrateful children. Instead, they were simply facing the many challenges of any new marriage - finding an apartment, getting used to each other's quirks, and learning to live together as husband and wife.

Lacking many of the characteristics of a traditional soap opera, "Claudia" didn't offer the anguish and heartbreak that typified such long-running soaps as "Valiant Lady," "Backstage Wife," and "Ma Perkins" - and, being sponsored by Coca-Cola, it even lacked the traditional sponsorship of a soap company. But the very elements it was lacking quickly became its strengths: with very few of the "tune in tomorrow" hooks that most soaps used to lure listeners back the next day, people returning to "Claudia" instead came back for the interesting, fully developed characters, the light-hearted banter between them, and the familiarity of their day-to-day situations. Rather than suffering with them, the characters were, instead, simply the sort of people you enjoyed spending time with. Given this, it may be best to view "Claudia" as a continuing daytime drama, rather than as a soap opera -- and a fairly light drama, at that.

"Claudia" was based on the literary works of Rose Franken, a writer, novelist, playwright, and theatrical director who had first written about the Naughton's in the mid-1930s. By the end of the decade, the highly popular short stories had been brought together into a series of best-selling novels which, in 1941, were adapted by Franken into a Broadway play, which opened at the Booth Theater on February 12, 1941 starring Donald Cook as David and a young actress named Dorothy McGuire in the title role. Claudia Naughton was a breakout role for McGuire, whose previous stage experience had been understudying and playing small parts in touring companies. The sincerity, simplicity, and captivating charm which she brought to the part made the play a long-running hit and soon brought her to Hollywood to reprise the role in the 20th Century Fox film version, released in 1943 and co-starring Robert Young as David. Based on that film's success, in 1945, RKO Pictures starred McGuire and Young in "The Enchanted Cottage" and 1946 found them together again in "Claudia and David," a sequel to the earlier film.

Due in large part to the success of the two "Claudia" movies, in 1947, the D'Arcy advertising agency decided to bring the characters to radio in a five-a-week quarter-hour serial on behalf of its client, Coca-Cola. First heard on Monday, September 29, 1947, Kathryn Bard was cast as Claudia and Paul Crabtree as David, with Joe King announcing. As with most shows sponsored by Coke, the organ theme was the "Coca Cola Waltz," a tune very familiar to radio listeners thanks to Coke's earlier sponsorship of such popular shows as "The Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands," Spike Jones' "Spotlight Review," and "Songs by Morton Downey." But this daily serial was not the first time that "Claudia" had been heard on the air - nor, in fact, would it be the last. In June of 1941, "Claudia" had appeared as a weekly skit on the "Kate Smith Hour," quickly transitioning into Smith's summer replacement series that same year. In 1952, after the radio serial had left the air, "Claudia" came to television in a half-hour series, seen in a short run on NBC from January through March and later switching to CBS thru June.

Heard today, "Claudia" remains wonderful entertainment, notable for both its light-hearted tone and the believable interplay between its characters. Claudia, a bit younger than her years, is often impulsive, sometimes irresponsible, usually perky, and just a bit flighty. Her father had died when she was still a young girl and, as an only child, had been raised by her widowed mother. As a newlywed who married when she was just eighteen, she occasionally ponders whether she is still a "mama-baby," tied to her mother's apron strings and relying too much on Mama's continuing support and advice. As she matures, she becomes a unique mixture of enthusiasm, incompetence and over-confidence -- deeply in love with her somewhat older husband David, but frequently naive and too likely to trust in her insecurities rather than her instincts.

Claudia's loving and patient husband David came from a substantial family and he had trained to be an architect until World War II interrupted his plans. Like many a returning veteran, he's working to get ahead in his field, but he sometimes questions whether he's chosen the right career path - particularly when considering the success of his older brother Hartley, an influential banker. In the forty sequential episodes of "Claudia" presented here for the first time in sixty years, you'll spend time with Claudia's mother, Mrs. Brown, neighbor Bertha, building supervisor Fritz, David's co-worker Roger, and his brother Hartley and his wife. You'll get to know more about all these people and share their lives -- in fifteen-minute segments.

One of the sad things about radio show preservation is the fact that so many long-running series exist today only in fragments - a broadcast here and a broadcast there, rather than long continuous runs of a particular program. This is particularly the case when it comes to soap operas, where it is difficult to get into a storyline when often so few consecutive episodes exist. Happily, that is not the case with "Claudia"; Radio Archives has been able to locate and preserve the entire eighteen-month run of the series - 390 episodes in all - with no missing shows, allowing you to enjoy the complete series on a day-by-day basis. This third collection offers 40 more episodes of "Claudia," with the remaining episodes to be issued in many upcoming volumes -- a real treasure for radio enthusiasts to play and enjoy for many years to come.

#81 Of Men and HousesMonday, January 19, 1948 - 15:00 - Syndicated, sponsored by Coca Cola

I sampled this series by trying out Volume 1, and quickly realized how much fun these shows are! Claudia is a fully realized person, with many quirks and also many virtues. She makes friends with everyone, including the listener. I find myself looking forward to the rest of the volumes (about 10 in all, I believe, would cover the 390 episodes).

Was this review helpful to you?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Good Little Radio

September 18, 2009

Reviewer:
Greg Adams

It has been a pleasure over the past year to have listened to programs which I've never heard and some which I remember. This time I got to hear them on my stereo system and not my little RCA six transistor. Good little radio though. Thanks so much for your efforts. As long as you keep on producing, I'll keep my money coming in.